[KH1] Could Kairi actually have gotten the Kingdom Key...

[Aqualung]

Had she not lost her heart in Destiny Islands?

Kairi was accidentally put through a Keyblade Inheritance Cerimony when she touched Aqua's Keyblade in Radiant Garden, and because of this she could use a Keyblade when Riku gave one to her in The World That Never Was.

Flash forward from that point to Destiny Islands after it fell under attack. Kairi lost her heart, Riku gave into darkness, so that only left Sora to gain the Kingdom Key, presumably because he had Ventus's heart inside him. But what if things had been different? What if Kairi, instead of losing her heart, kept it during the events of the invasion?

At Hollow Bastion, we know that Riku's heart wins the Keyblade from Sora, presumably because of something Maleficent had done. But Sora's heart apparently became stronger when Donald and Goofy returned to his side.

In the original events of KH1, did Kairi lose her heart because of some weakness? Or was something else involved? Assuming that she doesn't lose it in this hypothetical scenario, either:

I. It would have to be because her heart was strong enough to not get taken.

or

II. It would have to be due to luck, or some other occurrence.

Was it BECAUSE Kairi had a heart of pure light that it got taken away? Did she suffer some coma-inducing situation similar to Ventus that caused her heart to be lost? We know she went into a coma because her heart got taken away, but HOW did it get taken?

However, we're getting away from the main point: what was THE deciding factor in who got the keyblade?

Please discuss.

 

[cnorwood]

nice theroy but i dont think that would happen because namora didnt write that

 

[Goldpanner]

We know that the Kingdom Key did not choose Riku because he had given into darkness. And in either case he would have submitted anyway, whether Kairi was comatose or not. He had assumed that she was coming even though Kairi had lost her heart in the actual events of Kingdom Hearts 1, and Riku gave into darkness because he wanted to travel the worlds. So we can safely say that Riku obtaining the Keyblade at Destiny Islands is out of the question.

Yeah. He fell further and further trying to save Kairi, but he was already too weak for the Keyblade when she actually fainted.

In the situation I am hypothesizing, that only leaves Sora and Kairi to gain the Keyblade. If the Kingdom Key didn't pick Riku because he gave into darkness, then logically that meant the Kingdom Key based its decision on who would wield it based on one of two things (or a combination of both):

#1. How strong a heart was.

#2. How great the percentage of light in a heart was.

So which one of these two is it? Or is it a combination of both?

I'm pretty sure Nomura said it was about the strength of his heart, but I'm also remembering something about the KK being the blade for the RoL (and the IKK being the one for the RoD), so the light thing could make sense... Except as you said, Riku was able to use it in Hollow Bastion when he was almost super darkness'd... So I think it's more to do with strength than light.

Was it BECAUSE Kairi had a heart of pure light that it got taken away? Did she suffer some coma-inducing situation similar to Ventus that caused her heart to be lost? We know she went into a coma because her heart got taken away, but HOW did it get taken?

I think her heart was being influenced by Aqua's spell, to be protected by the light. And Sora's heart was full of light then, so her heart went there...? Following Sora, just like it did bringing her to DI in the first place. But that's speculation...

 

[micbeasty]

Yea i think it does protain more to strength bc look at MX and Terra after they both have divolged into the darknees they still wielded the keyblade

 

[Aquaman OS]

Light and Darkness has nothing to do with it. It's the strength of heart alone.

 

[Goldpanner]

Light and Darkness has nothing to do with it. It's the strength of heart alone.

Nomura has stated that light and darkness do influence the Keyblades, though...

 

[Aquaman OS]

Only in the sense of the power it uses. You can't be rejected by a Keyblade simply for being too into darkness as there have been plenty of darkness using Keyblade users and all of them possess realm of light Keyblades.

 

[Goldpanner]

But the KK might be different, since my vague memory tells me that the KK and the IKK are some kind of... dark/light realm balance thing... I dunno. I have to look for the report again...

 

[OmniChaos]

Flash forward from that point to Destiny Islands after it fell under attack. Kairi lost her heart, Riku gave into darkness, so that only left Sora to gain the Kingdom Key, presumably because he had Ventus's heart inside him. But what if things had been different? What if Kairi, instead of losing her heart, kept it during the events of the invasion?

Things could have possibly been different, but not the way you're thinking.
The reason Sora got the KK wasn't because Riku gave into darkness, but because Sora took the keyblade that was meant for Riku from him when Sora reached out and touched Riku's light as they were being pulled into darkness.

We know that the Kingdom Key did not choose Riku because he had given into darkness.

Incorrect.
Had Sora not touched Riku's light, Riku would have kept the keyblade Sora ended up taking.

So we can safely say that Riku obtaining the Keyblade at Destiny Islands is out of the question.

Again, no. If Sora was out of the picture that night, Riku would have kept his keyblade.

So which one of these two is it? Or is it a combination of both?

Neither, as Sora took the keyblade instead of the keyblade going to him. It wasn't until HB that the KK chose Sora as its master.

 

[Aqualung]

Things could have possibly been different, but not the way you're thinking.
The reason Sora got the KK wasn't because Riku gave into darkness, but because Sora took the keyblade that was meant for Riku from him when Sora reached out and touched Riku's light as they were being pulled into darkness.

Incorrect.
Had Sora not touched Riku's light, Riku would have kept the keyblade Sora ended up taking.

Again, no. If Sora was out of the picture that night, Riku would have kept his keyblade.

Neither, as Sora took the keyblade instead of the keyblade going to him. It wasn't until HB that the KK chose Sora as its master.

Thank you for clarifying. It's what I get for writing an OP at 1 AM in the morning and using wikis because I can't remember... never doing THAT again.

s1keanureeves

However, supposing still that Kairi had kept her heart, wouldn't that have given her an even greater chance of getting the keyblade? If all she had to do then was reach out and touch Riku's light, it would have been almost too easy for her to get the keyblade.

When Sora was a heartless in Hollow Bastion, she managed to change him back into his original self. If that had something to do with "touching Sora's light," then I think it's pretty clear that it was simply a matter of who got to Riku first, and / or who interacted with his light more on the night of the invasion.

 

[OmniChaos]

If that had something to do with "touching Sora's light," then I think it's pretty clear that it was simply a matter of who got to Riku first, and / or who interacted with his light more on the night of the invasion.

It's possible that Ven was somehow involved in this, but yeah, I think that's pretty much it. At least it is until Nomura retcons it or something...

 

[Aqualung]

At least it is until Nomura retcons it or something...

I have this funny superstition I got ever since Days came out that every time someone says that, Nomura is plotting another retcon. That's probably just me though. Or not...

s1eyeballs

 

[Aquaman OS]

That whole touching Riku's light thing is totally inconsistant with the stuff Nomura mentioned about Keyblade creation in the BBS Ultimania. So something needs to be retconed here.

Was that from before KH 2 came out? Because just about all rules of Keyblades have changed since then.

 

[OmniChaos]

No, I believe it was post-KH2. Though, with the search function not working at its fullest, I can't find the thread the interview was in, so I'm not 100% positive.

 

[riku rocks]

i think kairi is ablel to wield the keyblade like riku in 358/2 riku could hold roxes' obliven just like kairi could wield rikus girly @$$ keyblade

 

[Aqualung]

i think kairi is ablel to wield the keyblade like riku in 358/2 riku could hold roxes' obliven just like kairi could wield rikus girly @$$ keyblade

Kairi was able to wield the Keyblade because she touched Aqua's Keyblade which initiated the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony accidentally. Else, she wouldn't have been able to use Destiny Place at all.

Which is where I came up with the idea of Kairi being a possible candidate for the Kingdom Key when Destiny Islands was being invaded. In the canon of KH1, she lost her heart though, which pretty much disqualified her from ever getting it instead of Riku.

Apparently, if Sora hadn't interfered in some way, Riku would have gotten the Keyblade regardless since as several posters pointed out, there were Keyblade wielders who accepted darkness yet still had their Keyblade powers (Terra, MX, and Vanitas who was even pure darkness).

So Riku giving into the darkness supposedly had nothing to do with the Keyblade's decision, and had everything to do with either who interfered with Riku's light. This would also explain why Riku briefly got the Keyblade back from Sora in Hollow Bastion; if he interfered with Sora's light in some way (perhaps a power given to him by Maleficent), it would easily explain how he obtained it even though Donald and Goofy were right by him. When Sora realized that his friends were his power, his heart apparently grew stronger than Riku's, and he must've interfered with Riku's heart again to regain his Keyblade. This would actually make sense; is it possible that Keyblade wielders could steal Keyblade powers from each other through some contest of their hearts?

However, the main point in this topic is whether Kairi could've gotten the Keyblade if she hadn't lost her heart, or if she would've gotten it for sure if she had reached Riku before Sora did. Yet these many branching points that divert from the topic have something to do with it, so I suppose it's a lot more complex. (That's what happens when you retcon the firetruck out of your storyline =\)

 

[Aquaman OS]

You know with Kairi's ceremony she would have been able to awaken her own Keyblade with nothing to do with Riku anyway. In fact the only reason she hasn't so far is probably because she doesn't have anything to make it out of with her in the times it would have manifested.

 

[cnorwood]

well these are all good theroys but namora never wanted that to happen so it is impossible, remember these games and the story line behind them are just ideas in some guys head, which he likes to change around the rules